Where to Begin When You Start Gambling on Football

European football has quickly become one of the most popular sports in the world, with clubs and their leagues attracting huge followings in America, Asia and Africa.

There are many reasons for this; the pace of the game, the skill of some of the best players in the world, the drama that a season of top flight football brings. But another of the primary drivers for European football’s popularity is gambling.

Football in Europe is full of fast-paced action that attracts the best players in the world, and creates hundreds of betting opportunities for people who want to gamble on sports. There are betting markets on goals scored and shots taken, half time scores, cards and corners, and many of them can be played and paid in-game; meaning gamblers can win a bet and roll their winnings into a fresh bet on the same game. If you are considering a betting hobby, football is a great place to start.

The first thing to consider is responsible gambling. Every discussion of betting should begin by stating that gambling is a fun hobby, but not a source of income. You should never bet more than you are willing to lose, as there is no such thing as a sure thing. When betting on sports (or on any game) stops being fun, it is time to stop playing.

Start Smart – Take Advantage of Free Bet Offers and Special Promotions

There are many bookmakers online that are competing for your business, offering secure payment and smartphone apps to make betting quick and simple. They also offer a range of new customer promotions that you can take advantage of.

These offers change all the time, and sometimes are only available for a limited period, or are tied to a specific sporting event. Bet Victor, for example, recently offered England to win at 30/1 in free bets from a bet of just £1. This meant that a new customer could deposit as little as £5 in to a new account, bet just £1 on England to win, and receive £30 in free bet credit if England won the game.

Sites like Freebetup.com are great for keeping track of the special introductory offers that bookmakers have, and by using these offers you can begin gambling with the bookmaker’s money and not your own.

Start Small – With Just a Small Stake You Can Build a Big Pot to Play With

Many savvy football gamblers don’t start off with a high stake, but slowly build up their pot from a stake as small as a one or five pounds.

A good way to build a betting pot is to use small stake ‘evens’ bets and roll the winnings from one bet into the next. When betting on European football, it is easy to make a small, 2 or 3 leg accumulator bet from likely events that can double your stake.

On a wager like this, you may bet that there will be 1 or more goals in one game, 2 in another, and one team will lose or draw another match. These bets individually would only produce a small profit, but combined into an accumulator they can produce evens odds. If you were to bet £5, you would get £10 back. By doing this repeatedly, many gamblers ‘roll’ their winnings quickly into hundreds of pounds from just a few winning bets.

Start Researching – Inform Your Betting with Football Data

There are probably hundreds of websites and smartphone apps that offer huge volumes of football statistics for free. Many of these are run by fans of the game, and some by gamblers who want to share information and tips.

Some basic statistics to consider are the form of the teams, and the historical results of the matches you are considering. In the example of Liverpool F.C. at home versus Arsenal F.C., you would want to consider both team’s results over their previous ten or more games and the previous results for Liverpool versus Arsenal games over the last ten seasons or more.

A quick glance at the data for this tie suggests a high scoring game, for either or both sides. Current form would make a home win for Liverpool seem safe, but a smarter bet that would likely have better odds would be on over 2 goals in the game. You could even go higher on over 3, but the difference in return would probably not be worth the added risk of the game ending with only 3 goals scored.

Whether you are a fan of football or not, gambling on European football can be a lot of fun and you could make some extra money with a little luck and smart research.

If you find the right introductory offer with a bookmaker, and bet with a little strategy backed up by research, it is possible to get a return your initial investment and keep playing with the bookmaker’s money. It is important to remember that gambling is a hobby, and is meant to be fun. If the fun stops, then you should stop.